Do you find this strange?

[PrimroseHill]

Malaysian and Singaporean chinese are like that - competitive. Ultra competitive.
I have no desire to compete, nor do I have desire to keep up with the Joneses.
I used to think that these close friends of ours, in UK, he's South American with tinges of italian and french and wife is bulgarian. She is same age as me but he is older, not much, enough.
My husband and I used to marvel at how much they must be earning, until I accidentally stumbled on something. It was rather simple - he asked me for my Morrison's petrol receipt bill. And some other bits and bobs too. Like wife was supposed to have gone back to work fulltime but instead in Venice/Paris.
Told my other half that he was fiddling, sure enough a few years back, internal audit looked into their mobile phone bills.
I guess what I am trying to say, this isn't predominantly a chinese phomenon, exists elsewhere too. Chinese- educated or not, exposed to Western education, travel etc are just as competitive and just as materialistic

[JR8]

Sorry JR8, I could not resist
http://forum.singaporeexpats.com/ftopic95785.html

No problem

My family lost just about everything (as did so many) as a result of WW1/WW2. So we have a proud history (and paintings of mansions etc., just not the mansions themselves any more lol), but little to show for it in the aftermath. I think this tends to breed 'a certain determination'. Plus, we're all here to better and enrich ourselves, and our families. How do we gauge our success at achieving that, how should it be defined, measured, or considered?

But enough of that, the point was philosophical rather than having a contest. I'd imagined many of us here are here for the same reason, and hence might have asked themselves the same questions. If such a discussion can't naturally follow; fair enough, I understand the ways and moods of the internet.

[kookaburrah]

I agree with you, JR8, and the dig was friendly, and ever so slightly off centre.

I rather envy the determination - I fear I don't engage in the contest a bit due to fact I couldn't possibly compete in terms of hunger, perseverance or loot.

The questions you ask about success are incredibly interesting to me. I believe we all include a materialistic component to it, but it does vary in size. For me (and I do love my things too) a big chunk of it is related to choices. I need to know I have choices in my life - big choices, pack-and-move-across-the-world choices. It makes me feel alive, somehow.

[JR8]

I fear I don't engage in the contest a bit due to fact I couldn't possibly compete in terms of hunger, perseverance or loot.

Ah, so you come from Old Money then... lol

The questions you ask about success are incredibly interesting to me. I believe we all include a materialistic component to it, but it does vary in size. For me (and I do love my things too) a big chunk of it is related to choices. I need to know I have choices in my life - big choices, pack-and-move-across-the-world choices. It makes me feel alive, somehow.

Haha, well that's kind of you, thx.
Choices vs expectations [i.e. your aged mother calling from half a world away to issue the weekly orders lol].
I also find it interesting, the psychology of 'conveying status'. The need or wish to. The pack-animal nature of the people in a city. You work in a bank, it's down to your job-title, what your Swiss watch costs, and the look of the Hermes tie. Back home in the countryside, any of that would have you ridiculed... funny what a difference 100 miles can make.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKkdFSqA ... D17DDC03D1
Status Anxiety - Part 1
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A TV series (also a book) from a few years ago by the philosopher Alain de Botton.
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This TV series was a bit like looking in my rear-view mirror...